In recent years,the incidence rate and mortality rate of liver cancer remain persistently high,and most of the patients are diagnosed in the middle and late stages,and can not be cured.For the treatment of patients with middle and advanced liver cancer,traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has put forward the concept of “tumor-bearing survival”,which aims to improve the quality of life and prolong the survival period of the patients.The fundamental premise for the tumor-bearing survival of liver cancer patients lies in the maximization of preserving and maintaining the qi activities of the lungs,spleen,and kidneys.This article mainly focus on the understanding of the occurrence,development and treatment of liver cancer from the perspective of “essence-function theory” and “holistic view”,the combined application of “essence-function theory” and “holistic view” in different stages of liver cancer and modern medical treatment methods,and the treatment of common complications of liver cancer under the guidance of “essence-function theory” and “holistic view”,elucidating how to better achieve the “ tumor-bearing survival” of patients with middle and advanced liver cancer under the condition of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medical treatments.